and what you thought you lost was just mislaid
by thequeenofokay
Summary: He's gone by the morning. There's a note slipped under Skye's door when she wakes up. It has a set of coordinates, and: in case you need me - Ward. / / in which Skye visits Ward on her week off. He has a lot of dogs.


**notes:**

\+ prompt fill for "puppy love". i took it literally. we all knew i was going to, and this is gratuitous as fuck and that strange almost-angst kind-of-bittersweet thing that i do.

\+ title from "some people" by goldfrapp.

* * *

The agreement was that Ward would be reassigned to the team so that they could utilize his skills as a specialist and his insider information on Hydra.

This would have worked better if he hadn't quit after one mission.

Coulson had refused to let him go. Threatened him with prison again. With the dark cell and no contact with the outside world. Back to square one. No more therapy. No more Skye.

He's gone by the next morning anyway.

There's a note slipped under Skye's door when she wakes up. It has a set of coordinates, and:

_in case you need me  
__love__ Ward_

She looks it up, and finds a house on the outskirts of a town in Maine. It looks... nice. Peaceful.

Coulson puts her in charge of finding him, and she reports back solemnly that, try as she might, she just can't.

He lets it go. The Director of Shield has a lot on his hands, without trying to track down a single man.

Two years down the road, and she gets the week off. One week off. In two years.

She picks up her van, and drives.

She doesn't have to think about where she's going. She _knows_. She's had the address stuck in her head for a year now.

He's out in the garden when she pulls down into the drive. He looks up, and she can see the surprise in his face. She stops and hops out, and is immediately ambushed by at least four different dogs.

'Hey!' he calls. 'Here.' The dogs bound towards him, and Skye follows them. 'Sorry,' he says.

She smiles. 'It's fine,' she says. 'It's sweet.'

He scratches one of the dogs behind the ear. 'What are you doing here?' he asks. 'Sorry, I mean, do you want to come inside?'

She pulls her back out the back. 'You don't mind, do you?' she asks. 'If I stay.'

'Stay as long as you like,' he says. He leads her inside. 'The guest bedroom is upstairs. If you can get Daisy out.'

'It's just for a week,' she promises.

She takes her things up. There's a golden retriever in the corner, who she assumes is Daisy. She gives Skye big wet eyes, but doesn't get up.

Ward's made her tea when she comes back down. He's still got a few dogs at his feet, though he doesn't seem to notice and manuevers round them automatically.

She takes it greatfully, and sits down. A Collie puts it's head in her lap.

'I can make you something to eat,' Ward suggests, but Skye shakes her head.

'I ate on the way through town,' she says. 'It's been kind of a long day. I'd really just like to sleep.'

She could swap day for years, and she thinks Ward might get that.

'Sure,' he says. He doesn't ask questions. 'Let me know if you need anything.'

She doesn't know the last time she slept so well. She is, for the first time in a long time, not haunted by dreams of the things she's done.

She wakes up to find Daisy's moved to her feet. She wriggles out from underneath and pads down the stairs in her pyjamas, smelling pancakes.

'How do you feel?' Ward asks her when she enters the kitchen.

'Better,' she says, and he gets it. She knows he gets it. She hops up onto the counter, and he passes her a plate. 'How've you been?' she asks, tearing off pancake with her fingers.

'Better,' he says. 'It's nice here. It's peaceful.'

Skye smiles. 'With this many dogs?' she asks. She's lost count, now, of how many he has.

'They're good,' he says. 'Most of them are old. I take them in when people can't keep them or don't want them any longer.

'That's... good. That's good of you.' Skye looks up at him. There's something about him. Something different. Lighter.

'Yeah,' he says. 'It is.'

She smiles.

He takes a few of the dogs for a walk into the town, and Skye assists.

They stop at the bakery and the woman behind the counter knows his order without hi having to say a word.

'Who's this?' she asks, nodding to Skye.

'Old friend,' Ward replies.

She has the strange feeling, while they eat their pastries on a park bench, that he is home.

She thinks she might envy him a little bit for that.

'I missed you,' she says.

He looks over at her.

'I wished you were there.' She stares across the park. 'It was selfish. And stupid. But it wasn't the same without you.'

'It wouldn't have been the same if I was there,' he says. 'We can't go back, Skye.'

'I know.'

'You could have told Coulson,' he says slowly. 'You could have told Coulson where I was. You could have made me come back. But you didn't.'

'No,' she agrees. 'I didn't think you deserved that.'

'Then why did you?' he asks. 'Why did you stay? Why did you deserve it?'

'I had to.' She pauses. Scratches the ear of the dog with it's head on her knee. 'They were my family.'

'Were?'

'Are,' she corrects herself. 'Always will be. But it isn't the same as it was. You're right. It can never be the same as it was. There were too many lies.'

'I'm sorry,' he says, automatically.

'I know.' She shakes her head. 'It wasn't just you. I was a spy. Everyone lied.'

'I remember,' he says. And then, 'You used the past tense.'

She doesn't reply. Not directly. 'Are you happy?' she asks.

'Yes,' he says. 'I think so.' He hesitates, and she waits. 'I didn't know what happy was, for a long time. And then I thought it was you. I thought it meant you being happy.' She bows her head at that, looking away. 'But it's this,' he says. 'It's me. It's peace, I suppose.'

She smiles. Nudges his shoulder. 'That's deep.'

He laughs. 'I've been living alone for two years,' he says.

'You were alone before,' she points out.

'Living alone,' he says. 'I'm not alone here.' He smiles slightly. 'I've got friends here. And not just these guys.' He gives one of the dogs a pat.

Skye hugs him. She doesn't mean to, but she does.

He looks off balance for a second, then smiles wider, wrapping an arm around her waist.

'I'm happy for you,' she says. 'Really.'

They walk back through the town. They get into the doorway, and Skye stands there, looking out at her van.

At her van. With the sniper rifle in the back, that she took just in case.

'Can I stay?' she asks. 'For longer than a week, I mean.' She scuffs her boot on the _welcome home_ mat.

'As long as you like,' he says. He takes her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

She looks round at him. 'Thank you,' she says. She frowns. She looks past him into the hall, where Daisy is waiting for her. 'I think I might be happy here.'

He smiles, kissing her forehead. 'I think you might be, too,' he says.


End file.
